Holiday Weekend Cooking
I had a peaceful day of a little work and a little knitting planned for Friday. I did my weekly menu planning early Friday and saw fudgy brownies in Fine Cooking. I had everything I needed so I made brownies pretty early Friday. After I cleaned the kitchen and ran the dishwasher, I decided the kitchen was closed for the day.
I had to run out to get a printer cartridge to get some library program printing done, then home for lunch and knitting. Small trauma - when I heated my lunch the demon cat ate my knitting needle. She's fast with powerful teeth! After eating I ran to the yarn store for new needles. I need to be very vigilant while knitting.
We ate dinner out on Friday night and shopped for a new mattress and looked at new refrigerators. Saturday morning was Jazzercise, grocery shopping and the kitchen was open again for dinner - pork piccata. I also needed to make my breakfast casserole that was on the menu for Sunday.
I love the cookbook A Real American Breakfast by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison. The Sunday morning breakfast was another casserole and it is delicious.
Almond-Cinnamon Toast Featherbed
- 1 (1- to 1 1/4-pound) loaf challah, Portuguese sweet bread, raisin bread, soft white bread OR pannetone
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 6 ounces almond paste, cut into small bits
- 1/2 pound mascarpone OR 1/4 pound mascarpone plus 1/4 pound ricotta cheese
- 5 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half OR milk
- 1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds (optional)
Butter deep 9- or 10-inch baking dish.
Slice bread approximately 1/2 inch thick. Toast slices until crisp and golden (If they are too thick for your toaster, this can be done on a dry griddle or on a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven.) Stir together 4 tablespoons softened butter, cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Spread mixture evening over the toast.
Arrange 2 to 3 equal alternating layers of the bread, bits of almond paste, and mascarpone in the baking dish. Cut or tear the bread slices if needed to make snug layers.
Whisk eggs with half-and-half, amaretto and salt. Pour custard over bread mixture. Drizzle the 3 tablespoons melted butter over the surface. Cover and refrigerate strata at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Remove strata from refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes before you plan to bake it.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Plan on a total baking time of 55 to 60 minutes. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and scatter almonds over the top if you are using them. Continue baking, uncovered, until puffed, golden brown and lightly set in the center, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Serve hot.
I used challah bread, a 13 x 9 baking dish and made 2 layers, mascarpone and did not use almonds. We had some home made breakfast sausage also. After breakfast we relaxed, read a little, took a little nap and went to a friend's house.
My chef friend Rosemary invited us to her pool for the holiday. The pool in her neighborhood. We arrived, got organized, went to the pool, there was a catered bbq lunch, we ate, talked, relaxed in the pool, back to the house for chatting and then home. We had a very pleasant 4th of July.
This morning we were up and ready for 7:15 Jazzercise. I had to drag myself there slightly, but did feel better after. Home for breakfast which was Migas from the same cookbook. Migas are roasted poblanos, roasted jalapeno, roasted tomato, eggs, corn chips crushed, cheese, cilantro and they are wonderful.
Tonight will be ribs on the grill. Slow cook, easy cook. Maybe another nap and some knitting. Maybe the pool. The weekend weather has been perfect.
Back to work tomorrow with a personal chef customer. I'm ready though after my long weekend.
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